Adopt good lifestyle habits  to take care of your heart.

Adopt good lifestyle habits  to take care of your heart. There is a rise in the number of young people suffering from cardiovascular diseases. What can be done to have a healthy heart?

World over, there is an increasing number of young people suffering from cardiovascular diseases; chief among them is a heart attack, according to the Centers for Disease Control in the US, 20 percent of people who have a cardiac arrest are 40 or younger and this rate has risen by 2 percent a year for the last 10 years.

India too is not far behind in this trend, out of the world’s 17.3 million people who die due to heart disease, 1.7 million are Indians, and 40 percent of these are under the age of 55. These are alarming statistics and medical experts from around the world aim to draw attention to it through this year’s theme for World Heart Day that will be celebrated on 29^th September.

The theme “Use Heart to Beat CVD (Cardio-vascular Diseases)” implies using your wisdom and knowledge to adopt a healthy lifestyle, and using your influence to motivate and help others do the same. Through this, the World Heart Foundation aims to create an increasing awareness about the growing incidents of heart disease among young people.

Adopt good lifestyle habits  to take care of your heart:

Typical modern day lifestyles are sedentary in nature and having a work-life balance is almost impossible because most young professionals are constantly working due to increased digital connectivity. Unhealthy food habits further exacerbate the problem. Hence, the following are significant lifestyle habits that one can adopt to take care of their heart.

• Get adequate sleep, try sleeping for an uninterrupted 8 hours every night. Getting adequate sleep is crucial to avoid a host of heart problems.
• Water is the best natural and healthy drink, and drinking enough of it will help keep you healthy.
• Eating a well-balanced, nutritious, healthy diet on time is important. Erratic meal hours and unhealthy food items are the leading causes of cardiovascular diseases around the world.
• A regular Indian diet consisting of roti, vegetables, rice, dal, green leafy vegetables, curds or buttermilk, fruits  and salads is a healthy and balanced diet.
• Eating more green leafy vegetables and salads instead of red meats or foods that are high in fat and sodium will go a long way  in ensuring that you don’t get suffer from coronary heart disease.
• Your diet should Include 1-2 fruits everyday. They are good sources of vitamins and fibre.
• Avoiding all kinds of junk foods such as biscuits, fruit juices, noodles, cakes, pastries, cookies, packed snack items, cold/energy drinks, pizzas, burgers, fast food items, donuts, deep fried items, and refined sugar will help with maintaining a leaner frame and thus put less stress on your heart.
• High levels of fat in the body are never good for heart health, hence, apart from a good diet, maintaining a healthy weight is also important.
• Blood sugar and blood pressure levels should always be kept under control.
• Including a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise a day is crucial to maintaining a healthy and well-functioning heart, remaining physically active and doing household work also will help
• Practicing yoga and meditation can significantly help in managing stress levels.
• It is crucial to divorce your electronic gadgets post 10 pm as it hinders sleep and can cause erratic sleeping cycles.
• Mental health should never be ignored and seeking the help of counsellors or psychiatrists is recommended in cases of depression or high levels of anxiety.
• Having healthy and meaningful relationships with friends/family is often undermined yet crucial for a healthy heart. Difficult relationships lead to stress and harbouring of negative feelings, this often manifests as heart problems and leads to undue strain on the body and mind.
• Sitting continuously for a long time, sitting late for work and sleeping late are more harmful habits than you think and can lead to serious lifestyle problems.
• Consumption of alcohol and smoking in any form is bad for health.
• If there is family history of high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease, then it is important to have annual  health check ups to rule out any nascent or progressing heart issues.

Covid-19 pandemic has further highlighted the need for having a healthy heart as people with comorbidities are more susceptible to further complications from the virus. Hence, it is never too early to start taking care of your body and your heart.

Dr. Santosh Datar
Medical Director and Consultant Doctor
Ziqitza Health Care Ltd.